The Prairie Flint Circle mutual aid network started during the winter of 2020, when a lot of people suddenly needed help and a lot of other people suddenly had time to give it. We set up a shared spreadsheet, put a sign on the door, and started matching people. Four years later it is still running, still on a spreadsheet, and still doing the thing it was built to do. Here is how it works and why we have not tried to make it more complicated.

What mutual aid is and what it is not

Mutual aid is neighbors helping neighbors, not a charity giving to recipients. The distinction matters. In a charity model, there is a giver and a receiver. In a mutual aid model, everyone is both. The woman who needed a ride to her oncology appointment in Wichita in February is the same woman who spent three Saturdays helping a neighbor move. The spreadsheet does not track who has given more. It just tracks what is needed and what is available.

The spreadsheet model

We use a shared Google Sheet with two tabs: Needs and Offers. When someone contacts us with a need, we add it to the Needs tab with a date and a general description (no names, no identifying details). When someone offers help, we add it to the Offers tab. We match them by email or phone and then remove both entries. The whole thing takes about twenty minutes a week to maintain. We have resisted every suggestion to build an app or a formal intake process.

What people actually ask for

The most common requests are rides (mostly to medical appointments in Salina or Wichita), short-term tool loans (lawnmowers, ladders, a pressure washer), grocery help for people who are between paychecks, and help with heavy lifting or moving. We have also helped people find emergency housing leads, connect with legal aid, and locate a specific medication that was out of stock locally. We do not handle everything ourselves. We know who to call.

Privacy and trust

We do not share names or contact information without permission. When someone asks for help, we ask if we can share their first name and general situation with a potential helper. Most people say yes. Some say no, and we work around that. The network only works if people trust it, and trust requires discretion. We have never had a privacy complaint in four years.

How to start something similar in your community

You do not need a nonprofit, a website, or a budget. You need a point of contact (a person, not just an email address), a simple way to track needs and offers, and a community that knows the network exists. Put up a physical sign somewhere people gather. Tell your neighbors. Start with whatever comes in. The network will find its shape based on what your community actually needs, not what you planned for.

If you need help or want to offer it, reach out at hello@prairieflintcircle.com or stop by the center any time we are open. We will figure it out together.